Baltimore band swims hard in small pond
The Insider's Scoop: The Grilled Lincolns
Realizing that they are indeed a budding band, they have acknowledged the need for a bit more guidance. SXSW is a privately owned company in Austin geared to creating networking events within in the music industry. Their event boasted over 12,000 registrants this year.
For a band like the Grilled Lincolns, this is the perfect opportunity to make long-lasting connections within the industry.
"You can't ever stop working in this business, but I think we made a lot of good contacts. Mostly there were panels during the day, meet and greets and demo listenings with record labels so it was a really good experience," Becker said. "A lot of shaking hands and schmoozing and trying to meet big wigs and hand out business cards."
One major lesson that Becker learned from the experience is that major labels are not looking to sign bands that don't have a signature sound - which could be a problem for the Grilled Lincolns, who pride themselves on their genre-hopping albums. Each song on their albums Raised by Wolves and The Roaring '20s can vary style - resulting in somewhat unfocused but not necessarily unlikeable composition, kind of like the mix-tapes of the '80s and '90s.
It's an existential issue that the band will have to explore because while "it might be our downfall," Becker said, "it's what a lot of people say they like about us ... Basically we're invested in the theory that no one really likes one kind of music anymore but likes a little bit of everything."
While gearing up for their third album, Becker acknowledges that this effort needs to epitomize that search for a musical niche, perhaps by combining different elements within one song rather than jumping from hip-hop to ballad to rock with each track.
"We realized that you do have to jump through certain hoops. You can say, 'I'm an artist, I do what I want, I'm independent' but at the same time, we want to be successful and marketable and have a demographic. Just kind of growing up basically," Becker said.
With their sights set on maturity and a clear path on which to follow, the members of the Grilled Lincolns are ultimately all about taking their music to the people; and while they want to display their technical abilities, it's really just about enjoying the atmosphere. "We don't get political, God bless bands that do, but it's not for us. While we do have our serious songs, for the most part we don't take ourselves too seriously. We just want people to have fun at our shows, kick-back and have a good time."
The Grilled Lincolns will be playing at the 8x10 on Friday, April 18.
For a band like the Grilled Lincolns, this is the perfect opportunity to make long-lasting connections within the industry.
"You can't ever stop working in this business, but I think we made a lot of good contacts. Mostly there were panels during the day, meet and greets and demo listenings with record labels so it was a really good experience," Becker said. "A lot of shaking hands and schmoozing and trying to meet big wigs and hand out business cards."
One major lesson that Becker learned from the experience is that major labels are not looking to sign bands that don't have a signature sound - which could be a problem for the Grilled Lincolns, who pride themselves on their genre-hopping albums. Each song on their albums Raised by Wolves and The Roaring '20s can vary style - resulting in somewhat unfocused but not necessarily unlikeable composition, kind of like the mix-tapes of the '80s and '90s.
It's an existential issue that the band will have to explore because while "it might be our downfall," Becker said, "it's what a lot of people say they like about us ... Basically we're invested in the theory that no one really likes one kind of music anymore but likes a little bit of everything."
While gearing up for their third album, Becker acknowledges that this effort needs to epitomize that search for a musical niche, perhaps by combining different elements within one song rather than jumping from hip-hop to ballad to rock with each track.
"We realized that you do have to jump through certain hoops. You can say, 'I'm an artist, I do what I want, I'm independent' but at the same time, we want to be successful and marketable and have a demographic. Just kind of growing up basically," Becker said.
With their sights set on maturity and a clear path on which to follow, the members of the Grilled Lincolns are ultimately all about taking their music to the people; and while they want to display their technical abilities, it's really just about enjoying the atmosphere. "We don't get political, God bless bands that do, but it's not for us. While we do have our serious songs, for the most part we don't take ourselves too seriously. We just want people to have fun at our shows, kick-back and have a good time."
The Grilled Lincolns will be playing at the 8x10 on Friday, April 18.
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Lorn Hinish
posted 3/31/08 @ 11:07 AM EST
I must say this was an excellent article about The Grilled Lincolns. They are such a top notch band and I have had the pleasure of working with them over the past several months. (Continued…)
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